Digmund&Clawhauser
by Wonder Panda Tan-Tan
Summary: One's a justice seeking mole. The other is a donut seeking cheetah. This unlikely pair will have to work together as a team, bonding in more ways than one. It's Starsky&Hutch meets Zootopia, though with a more romance setting. Male OCXClawhauser Pairing, please enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

Digmund & Clawhauser

Chapter 1: The Unlikely Pairing

The city of Zootopia was the largest city, filled with animals predator and prey alike living in harmony. The differences between the two left too many moments of prejudice, but those moments began to change with the help of Mayor Lionheart and his decision to give even prey a chance to have equal footing with the predators. It was thanks to the Mammal inclusion project that gave rise to Zootopia's first ever bunny and fox officers of the ZPD, the two heroes of the savage case, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde. They were the inspiration and hope for all species to come together, and was the hope of one young man to go for his own dreams. _Here I am… ZPD Headquarters._ He gazed at the police department, seeing the many large officers chatting with one another or currently bringing shady criminals inside. It was time for him to take the first step.

* * *

Benjamin Clawhauser was to everyone's opinion, the most jovial and happiest cheetah to work in the ZPD. People would always see him with a smile on his face and his phone or a variety of donuts in his paws. So it was quite a shock when they came to see the pudgy feline looking actually depressed, even while eating his favorite Lucky Chomps cereal he chewed in a slowed and saddened manner.

"Whoa, people were talking but seeing it up close is crazy." The familiar voice Benjamin heard was from one of his two newest friends, Nick Wilde was standing in front of his receptionist desk with his partner, Judy Hopps. "What do ya think, Carrots? Is this Ben's evil twin or is it opposite day?"

"Hey Nick… Hi Judy." Benjamin greeted enthusiastically.

"You ok, Ben? It's unlike you to look so sad." Judy pointed out. "Did something happen?"

"Well… you know that today is when the new recruits come in right?" He explained. "The Chief told me some news. I'm getting… replaced!"

"Replaced? But what are you gonna do?" Nick asked.

"Don't tell me you're being put in records again?" Judy went with that first because she knew from her own previous mistake how much the cheetah hated that position.

"Even worse… the chief is putting me on the field!" Benjamin answered. "He's having me along with other senior officers to be partners for the new recruits."

"I can understand that for the other guys… but you?" Nick smiled at an attempt to cheer him up. "Whoever you partner up with will probably only learn how to stuff five dozen donuts in an hour." His small joke managed to put a smile on the cheetahs face. "Cheer up ok, Ben? I'm sure it won't be all that bad."

"Yeah… thanks for worrying you guys." Ben had finally started to smile again. He took his bowl of cereal and gulped it down milk and all leaving his grinning face all wet and soggy. "I feel much better now thanks to that. But you guys should hurry and get ready. Aren't you doing a speech for the recruits?"

"Right! Come on, Nick! We can't stay around here any longer." Judy grabbed his arm and pulled the groaning fox towards the bullpen.

"Good luck you guys!" Benjamin waved them off happily. He reached under his desk and grabbed a box of donuts he had brought earlier, the strawberry frosted goodness in his hand perked him up even more as he wolfed it down in one bite.

It was at that time that the entrance door opened and someone new entered the department. It was a mole, a black european mole. He was stepping towards the receptionist desk wearing only a pair of pants and a shirt from the police training academy. The mole was stern, serious, determined for what he was there for. Now standing in front of the receptionist desk, he looked at the pudgy cheetah stuffing his face with donuts. "Excuse me, Officer?" He called out to Clawhauser as the cheetah continued eating obliviously. Feeling he wasn't loud enough he called out again while hitting the bell to catch his attention. "Officer! Could you please help me?"

"Hm!? Oh I'm so sorry, how can I help…!?" Ben expected the voice to be a little animal but was surprised to see the mole was at least between a foot taller than Judy. He saw the pudgy body smaller than his own, but his eyes mainly focused on the glasses on the mole's face. The big circular lenses magnified his eyes covered a bit in fur to show a pair of brown eyes. "O...M… Goodness. You are so cute!"

"W-What!?" The mole blinked blankly at the cheetah who instantly realized what he said.

"Wait that's not what I meant. I-I meant handsome!" Clawhauser gained another huh from the embarrassed mole, "No wait, I meant adorable… y-your glasses are adorable. So adorable! Like something on a teddy bear."

"Please s-stop!" The blushing mole felt his body trembling in nervousness. "I-If you please… w-which way is the bullpen for the new recruits meeting?"

"It'll be to your left, once again I'm…" Before Clawhauser could apologize the mole was quickly running off towards the direction he gave him. "Sorry…"

 _W-What was that? What was that!?_ The mole felt his face still red and blushing, the cheetah had broken his composure so easily. He had his plan and stern expression completely ruined. _What was with that cheetah? Saying these grandpa glasses are cute? Cute!?_ Why was he still thinking about it?

"Ugh! Stupid!" He walked faster through the halls until his thoughts distracted him enough to cause him to bump into a hard object. His glasses flying off the moment he fell on his behind. "My glasses! M-My glasses!" He crawled about trying to find his glasses on the floor hoping he wouldn't hear the sound of them breaking.

"Looking for these?" A red figure entered his blurred vision but what he noticed immediately in the person's paw were his glasses.

"Oh thank you!" He took the glasses back and placing them back over his eyes. "Thank you very much. I'm sorry if I bumped into you like…!?" The mole gasped in shock, his vision clearing up to see that the person who helped him was a fox he knew well. "Nick Wilde… you're Nick Wilde!"

"Somebody's heard of me." Nick chuckled.

"Of course! You and Judy Hopps are the first fox and bunny cops in ZPD. You're an inspiration to all of us small animals!" Quickly regaining his composure, the mole saluted with a serious tone, "Officer Wallace Digmund. New recruit of the ZPD at you're service! It's an honor to meet you."

"Same here newbie, the bullpen is to your left but you should go to the locker room to the right." Nick explained. "The new recruits already have their own lockers with their uniforms inside. Better hurry up."

"Yes sir! Thank you sir!" Feeling his excitement returning he saluted again and made his way toward the locker room. Wallace looked around when he found a locker with the name "W. Digmund " written on a plaque.

 _Finally. After so long I'll finally get to do my part._ He opened the locker and grabbed the new uniform which was made to his size. The blue uniform fit his chubby body well, the gold ZPD badge adorned on his chest shining brightly in the light. He took it in his paws looking into grinning reflection with great confidence. Wallace turned to the large mirror in the room getting an even better view of himself. _Should I?_ He looked around the room to find himself completely alone. Why shouldn't he enjoy himself?

"Justice burning within me!" Wallace crossed his arms together striking out into a heroic pose. "Burying evil beneath my feet!" He grabbed his badge and thrusts it in front of the mirror. "ZPD Officer Digmund! On the scene!" The last pose made the outfit all the more exciting, but the mole soon felt his nervousness return.

Through the mirror reflection he saw Clawhauser, the cheetah standing at the door watching for who knows how long with a cellphone in hand. The two stared for a few more seconds before Clawhauser said, "Were you in the middle of something?"

Wallace, unable to handle the embarrassment anymore ran past the cheetah and out through the door. The feline feeling as if he made the situation all the more worse.

* * *

"Alright Alright, quiet down!" After the couple of minutes of the officers lining into the bullpen. Chief Bogo, a tall powerful looking buffalo caught the attention of his men with only his voice. "Today is a special day. In accordance with the Mammal inclusion project, we now have five new officers joining the ZPD. And to welcome them all, we have our first bunny and fox officers, Hopps and Wilde to welcome them." Bogo left his stand turning behind him to see the newest smaller members of his men. A spider monkey, a sheep girl, a hedgehog, a rat of all things, and then there was Wallace. He gave them each an intimidating glare with a grin as Judy and Nick stepped on the stage.

"Thank you chief, as the first bunny to join the force I was… and still am, very excited to be here." Judy told. "The duty of protecting the citizens of Zootopia, bringing criminals to justice. All of it is a great feeling, especially more so when you have a great partner at your side." She turned to see her partner in question smiling at what she said. "Speaking of my partner, anything you wanna say to the recruits, Nick?"

"Pretty much everything you said, Carrots." Nick's reply got a laugh from the fellow cops, Judy wasn't very pleased until he continued, "That, and remember to always trust your partner. When on the field they aren't just someone you work with, but also a friend that will always have your back."

The officers and new recruits joined in a round of applause, Judy in particular was especially happy. _Stupid fox._ She whispered low enough for him to hear getting a grinning wink in return. After the applause was over, Bogo returned and spoke again. "Now we're going to pair up one recruit to a senior officer. I'll be calling each one and the two called will be partners so pay attention for your name. First off… Digmund and Clawhauser."

Wallace quickly raised his hand, excited to be able to work with a senior to learn from. _I wonder what Clawhauser is like?_ He thought for only a moment when a spotted paw was raised in the air. He felt as if the fur on his body turned white as a ghost when he saw that his partner was none other than the fat cheetah that's embarrassed him since their first meeting. "The new recruits will start their first day on the job tomorrow morning. So be sure you and your partner know where to meet."

* * *

Wallace had to talk to the chief, there had to be some way for him to get out of this partnership. So when the introductions and meeting were over, he followed the buffalo to where his office was and knocked on the door. "Come in!" Bogo sternly called out.

"Hello, Chief? Wallace Digmund here, I wanted to ask you something?" He asked as he entered closing the door behind him.

"Alright, sit down and let's talk." Bogo gestured to the chair in front of his desk which the mole politely took.

"Well sir, in um… regards to my new partnership with Officer Clawhauser," Wallace swallowed the nervousness he felt and continued on, "I would like to ask if I could have a different partner?"

"You have a problem working with a predator?" Bogo questioned.

"Not at all sir! I've never shown a prejudice towards predators nor will I ever. We all live here and we have to work together to maintain peace. But it's just that…" The mole felt his face blushing again as he remembered those moments with the cheetah. "I've had time too meet Clawhauser since being here. And he kind of um… stresses me. I feel a strange nervousness around him that makes me uneasy. I don't believe I can work effectively like that."

"I see…" The chief went through one of the files with Wallace's name on it as he listened. "Digmund right? You just moved to Zootopia today didn't you?"

"Huh? Oh, yes I have. I just arrived today but I had my things delivered to my apartment several days before." He answered a bit confused as to why he was asked this. "I'm supposed to have a roommate but I never met them yet."

"Listen Digmund, you may have your problems for some reason. But Clawhauser has been one of my best men for years, he has experience that'll help you learn a few things." Bogo smiled. "As much as I don't like to admit it, Wilde was right. Try and trust your partner more, you might find yourself even closer than you are now."

 _What's that mean?_ "Yes sir, I'll try my best." Wallace saluted as he got to his feet and made his way outside. The trip to his new apartment would be long, but it at least was in walking distance from the department, giving him plenty of time to think. Chief Bogo was right, no matter how he felt about him, Clawhauser was still his senior. He had more experience in the job as him, which on the field could prove useful. _I guess I should try giving him a chance._ He sighed finally reaching his apartment complex, it was a half hour or so from work so he could at least get a jog in whenever he wanted.

The mole entered and looked for the door numbered 103, he had wondered why of all rooms there would be a vacancy on the first floor, but he wasn't picky. "There it is." He saw the door to his right only a few feet from the entrance, loud booming music could be heard coming from the door. It took Wallace to figure out it was from Gazelle, Zootopia's number 1 pop idol, he listened to her songs a few times but he never thought of being a fan. "Hello? Is anyone in there?" Wallace knocked hoping someone was there to open the door. "Hello? This is Wallace Digmund, I'm your new roommate! Can you let me in?" The music stopped abruptly, the sound of footsteps moving closer until the doorknob turned. Wallace stood back and gave his best smile, ready to introduce himself to his new roommate. But the minute that door opened, his eye twitched in disbelief.

"O...M… Goodness!" It was Clawhauser, that towering pudgy cheetah in a I heart Gazelle shirt was looking at him with a wide grin on his face. "Chief said there'd be a surprise! Come on in, roomie!"

 _That's what he meant._ Wallace sighed, it took a minute before he stepped inside the large house. The first step lead to the kitchen messy with snacks and boxes of cereal, a living room with a large flat screen… at least large for his size. "Don't worry either," He looked back to Clawhauser, the feline trying to reassure him. "I'm gonna be the best partner I can be for you. So let's do our best. Wally."

"Don't. Don't call me, Wally." He told bluntly.

"You can call me Ben too if you want?" The cheetah smiled more. "It's a nice way to start our partnership."

The mole just stared at that chubby face, those big eyes staring at him for acceptance. He couldn't win. "... Call me Wally then." _I hope this works out..._

* * *

Hey there everyone, I can't tell ya how much I fell for Clawhauser and his adorable face. I just had to do a story for him. Read and Review please.


	2. Chapter 2: Difficult Partners

Chapter 2: Difficult Partners

Wallace woke up to the sound of his alarm clock, it was 4:30 in the morning. Just the right time he planned to get up. _First day on the job is today, time for a morning jog then I'll get ready._ He grabbed a pair of sweatpants and his police academy shirt with his glasses, getting dressed as fast as he could before he left his room. It was right next to two other rooms, the bathroom and the room of his new partner, Benjamin Clawhauser. The door was open enough to see the cheetah in his bed, snuggling into what looked like a body pillow of Gazelle.

 _A true fan in every sense of the word… this is my partner._ Wallace still felt a bit of regret, he wasn't sure about the idea of working with such a cop. He expected a cool, serious, and action heavy partner, but all he got was in his own words, _A cinnamon roll._ The very thought of the donut lover plagued his mind even through his jog. Why was it he had to partner with him? Was it the Chief's cruel joke? Thinking it was good since they'd be roommates? _Bogo doesn't seem the type to do that unfortunately. I gotta make do._

It was only an hour of jogging around his block, but the mole felt the burn and felt like he was ready for the day. He returned to the apartment complex and entered into the kitchen, only to find Clawhauser already awake. The chubby cheetah had his phone in his paws and earbuds in his ears playing Gazelle's music at full blast, dancing his heart out while grabbing a box of Lucky Chomps Cereal. The little show was amusing to say the least, watching the feline sing "Try Everything!" Right on cue with his favorite idol. It was during one verse that he turned and finally noticed Wallace watching him. "Wally! Good morning little guy, was wondering where you were."

"Good morning, Benjamin." He greeted plainly as the cheetah sat down to pour his milk and cereal into a bowl.

"Come on we've been over this, you can call me Ben." They had been over it since yesterday, but the mole was still unsure about getting so acquainted so quickly. "Somebody needs to put more effort with his new partner."

"Sorry, it just might take a while. So I'll stick to Benjamin." He watched as Ben dug into his cereal with a grin on his chubby face, it was as if every moment he chewed he was enjoying more and more from that bowl. "I'll go take a shower and change. But after that, do you mind if we talk along the way?"

"Sure thing, partner!" Hearing that word made the mole cringe, but it was true.

* * *

"From what I've looked up, you've been on the force for at least four years correct?" He asked the cheetah as they walked toward the precinct.

"You've read my file?" Clawhauser asked.

"Only that part, I felt I should get the more important answers from you yourself." Wallace answered. "So tell me, how long were you on the field before you were put as dispatcher?"

"I was always the dispatcher actually." He gingerly told. "I didn't really do that great during academy training… I had a bit of a hard time at first. My first time doing the training exercises were a bit rough but I managed to pass." The cheetah wondered. "You must've had a hard time too I bet, that training they do can be a killer."

"Not really, it was pretty easy." Wallace bluntly told.

"Really? I mean there some really tough obstacle courses, then the hand to hand combat with all the big preds. Wasn't it even a little hard?" Clawhauser asked.

"If Officer Hopps could do it then so can I." His words came out even blunter to his partner. "I didn't care about disadvantages I could have… I just thought about achieving what I wanted."

"Wow, I guess Judy was a real inspiration to you." Ben said impressed.

"She wasn't the only one…" The mole's obscure reply lead to more questions, but he wasn't going to answer nor did he want to. The awkward silence lasted only until they made it to the precinct entrance. "Benjamin…" He called to his partner, unsure of what to say until he continued, "Let's… both do our best."

The big cheetah's face lit up with a grin, his worry of not making a good first impression to his partner washed away. "Right!" Clawhauser had a new spring in his step as he opened the door for them. His grin seemed to grow wider when the first people to catch his eye were Nick and Judy. "Morning guys! Ready to make the world a better place?"

"Morning Ben, you sure sound ready for your first day on the field." Judy greeted back putting her attention towards the small mole beside him. "You must be Wallace, we never got the chance to speak yesterday but Nick told me about you. It's nice to meet another little guy who made valedictorian in the academy."

Wallace grinned sheepishly saluting his senior. "T-Thank you very much, Officer Judy. I just learned from your fine example."

"You were valedictorian?" Benjamin asked surprised.

"Your teacher's sure gave you high praise." Nick told. "Besides your deduction skills they said your self defense is the highest out of your class. One of them literally said "like watching a comic book hero."

"I um… had good inspirations to learn from." Wallace blush grew brighter from the praise. "B-Besides that, we're supposed to go to the bullpen for our assignments right?"

"In a few minutes, but Wallace, are you going out into the field like that?" Judy looked at the new recruits attire, his uniform much like the other male officers but with a pair of black headphones around his neck. On each side of his hips were a small metal rod with one on the right resting beside the holster of his tranquilizer gun. "Isn't that a bit much?"

"Yeah, you look like you should be with the S.W.A.T team than Clawhauser." Nick quickly double backed his response. "Not that Ben wasn't a bad choice for a partner." He smiled assuringly to support his worried friend.

"It's only the standard tranq gun, I also bought these stun rods to incapacitate any criminals if l have to." Wallace adjusted the headphones on his neck. "These also come in handy for me… keeps me focused when I'm listening to music. I asked the chief for permission to have them so it's ok."

"I guess when you're the little guy, it's best to have an edge." Clawhauser tried to joke to join in the conversation. "Think I could borrow one of those rods, Wally?"

"Buy your own…" Wallace dismissed his question and walked away towards the bullpen. "And that's Officer Digmund while at work." He corrected his partner before leaving.

"H-Hey wait!" Clawhauser sighed seeing that his words wouldn't get anywhere. "It doesn't look like he likes me…"

"Don't worry Ben, it's not like he'll always be like that." Judy patted his back assuringly. "All partners hate each other at first, I didn't like Nick the first time I met him."

"The feeling was certainly mutual, dumb bunny." Nick chuckled. "But yeah, give Digs some time. I'm sure after a while together you guys will be friends."

"Yeah…" Benjamin knew his friends were right, but he wanted it to be sooner than later. He had to do his best or else he felt this new partnership wouldn't last.

* * *

After a few minutes everyone were in the bullpen, Clawhauser sat silently beside the small mole spinning a pen in his paw. He was nervous to even speak to Wallace, unsure of what his reaction would be. "I'm sorry…" His ears perked up when his partner suddenly spoke. "I was rude… it wasn't right for me to do that to you. I was just a little upset." Wallace's eyes shuffled about, embarrassed to even look at the cheetah. "I know I have to do better cooperating with you… I promise to do better."

"Oh gosh, you don't have to say all of that." Now Benjamin felt embarrassed, twiddling his thumbs he smiled and said, "Let's both do better, how's that Wally?"

"Yeah… that's right." Wallace smiled at the cheetah for the time.

"Alright alright, everyone listen up!" Bogo's voice boomed through the bullpen, it silenced all of the officers and brought them to his attention. The big cape buffalo wore his glasses as he read through the papers on his desk. "We have a good couple of cases for everyone, so let's make sure that we take care of them by today. First off, Hopps and Wilde." The two partners stood at attention from their shared seat. "I want you on traffic patrol, there's been news about a biker gang that's been passing near Savanna Central. I want you to look out for them and call for reinforcements before intercepting them."

"Roger that, Chief." Judy replied.

"There seems to be another group that's been around here too, a trio of wolves that's been robbing various shops around town." He pointed to Wallace and Benjamin. "Digmund and Clawhauser. I want you to patrol the plaza, if they're focusing their operations in the center of Zootopia that's where you'll find them."

"You can count on us, Chief!" Wallace jumped to his feet ready for action. "Benjamin, let's get going!"

"R-Right! Here goes nothing!" Clawhauser bolted off of his chair trying his best to keep up with his partner already at the door. "Hey um, Wally? Since we're gonna be on patrol, why don't we get one of the police cars to stake out in?"

Nodding in agreement with his partner's idea, Wallace and Benjamin made their way to the precinct's garage and grabbed a large police car. With Clawhauser in the wheel, they sat out towards the center of Savannah Central. The old watering hole now made as a fountain, the place where Zootopia had evolved from. _This is it. My first job as a cop. I worked so hard to get to this._ Wallace's anticipation was written all over his face, his eyes were focused as they took a place to park near the fountain. _Let's serve some justice!_

 _1 PM._ Wallce stared at car's clock. It had been three hours since their stake out had started, but the wolf trio didn't seem appear. _They must've seen this coming. No… maybe they went to a different district to steal from there._ The mole's thoughts were soon drowned out by the sound of his growling stomach. He looked back to Clawhauser's empty seat worriedly. _It's been thirty minutes since he said he was getting food for us. What's taking him?_

As if right on time to answer him, Ben opened the driver's seat with a big pink box in his paw. "I'm back!" He said with a sheepish grin. "Harry's Donuts sure was crowded today. I miss anything?"

"All that time for donuts?" The mole sighed knowing he couldn't be picky at this time. "No, still no sign of any suspicious wolves."

"Oh…" Ben still felt nervous about his partner's impression towards him. He hoped to break the ice with the donuts. "You haven't lived until you've tried Harry's donuts. I got all of my faves in here too so you can pick whichever."

"I'll take the two not sprinkled vanilla and strawberry frosted donuts, and one of the glazed." Wallace kept his gaze by the water fountain, but his answer caught the cheetah by surprise.

"How'd you know there were two not sprinkled?" He asked. "I didn't even open the box yet."

"Moles have a strong sense of smell, it's one of our specialties." Wallace poked his nose, sniffing out the air of the car as he kept his eyes on the fountain. "There's glazed, vanilla, strawberry, chocolate frosted, and jelly filled in that box."

"Even my nose isn't that good." Ben smiled, it finally looked like they were bonding. "Bet you can't tell what I smell like though."

"The faint smell of blueberry scented shampoo, though it's wafted over the sweat you made getting back here." He replied getting back to his work. "There's still no sign of them… could the Chief had gotten a false lead?" Wallace ran through the number of ideas in his mind when the sound of music caught his ear, he saw Clawhauser playing a video on his phone. "Why… are you playing that right now?" His eye twitched in irritation when asking.

The cheetah still had a donut in his mouth while a Gazelle music video played on his phone. He grinned nervously and quickly swallowed to speak. "Hehehe, just thought we could use some music in here. I mean who could say no to Gazelle?"

"I can… I can say no." He bluntly answered.

This made a surprising gasp come from Clawhauser. "How could you say no to Gazelle? The beautiful angel with horns? Her voice is beautiful! How can you not love her music?"

"I never said I didn't like her music, her work is pretty good in my honest opinion and I do like how she cares about the city she lives in along with its people." Wallace explained. "I'm just not that into her to call myself a fan. I mean I heard there's this app where fans can photoshop their faces as one of her buff, tiger background dancers. That's like super fandom, could you believe someone doing that?"

"Y-Yeah… sounds pretty crazy…" Ben chuckled nervously, he definitely wasn't going to show the app now. "So um… who's some of you favorite singer then? Do you have any favorite songs? I-I just wondered since you brought those headphones."

 _He's asking me this now?_ The mole did understand why though. Clawhauser was trying to get to know him as a partner, right now was the best possible time for them to do this while they wait. "Well um… I do like Kyary Ponmyu Ponmyu."

"Hey I know her, she's the tanuki girl from Japan." Ben smiled. "She wears all of those crazy outfits like Lady Baa Baa, I saw one of her music videos too. It was freaky."

"I like the freakiness, it's colorful and interesting. Plus I admit I…" The mole blushed a little. "I did think she was pretty cute."

"Oh she was totally adorbs! I won't lie about that." Clawhauser grinned from cheek to fat cheek. He looked back out towards the fountain for only a moment, but when he did he noticed something. A wolf like tail wagging through the fountain's rising water. "Hey… hey look at that over there!" He pointed back in the direction for Wallace to see.

The fountain's water began to die off and Wallace could finally see it. A black wolf in a jacket, he looked around as if waiting for something when two more came in. A grey and silver wolf, each carrying their own large bags. "That's them, those are the wolves from the file! Good job spotting them, Benjamin." He grabbed his tranquilizer gun ready for action. "I'll come in from the right and you go in from the left. You know how to use one of these right?"

"A little… though I'm not that great." Ben admitted.

"That's fine, holding it is more than enough." Wallace opened the door and made his way out of the car. "Let's do this."

Nervously following behind his partner, Benjamin and moved closer toward the center of the fountain. They split off circling in opposite directions as they crept closer on the unsuspecting wolves. Creeping closer, Wallace managed to get a better glimpse at what was in the bags. Several hundred bills caught his eye, it was more than enough for him to exclaim, "ZPD! You're under arrest!"

"The cops!?" The grey wolf grabbed the bags ready to run when Clawhauser appeared on the other side. "Split up!" The wolves dashed through the fountain, just as the water shot into the air.

Wallace and Benjamin circled back to the other side, but by the time they made it the three had separated. The black and silver wolf ran together into an alleyway as the grey one with the bags rushed toward the next corner. "Clawhauser, go after the one with the money. I'll get the other two!"

"Wha? W-Wally wait!"

Ben was too late to call to his partner, the mole had already darted into the alleyway. He was right on their tails as they climbed up a fence to escape, but Wallace grinned, he ran faster using his momentum to climb up the walls and jumped over it with ease. Turning right into the next corner, the wolves found themselves at a dead end. "Shoot, we're stuck!" The black wolf looked back just as Wallace appeared in front of them. "Wait, why are we running from some scrawny little mole?" The two looked back as Wallace removed his glasses, the fur covered his eyes as if he had none at all and then placed the headphones over his ears. "Looks like he's gonna give us a little dance… let's get him." The two wolves grinned at what they thought was an easy fight.

Wallace didn't worry though, in fact he liked the idea of being overestimated. He took out one of his stun rods extending it outwards from its sheathed form as the two charged at him. The black wolf grabbed a metal rod and swung at the mole's head, but Wallace anticipated the attack. He guarded with the rod and thrusts it into his side, the moment the wolf winced in pain he spun around him and hit his back. The silver wolf grabbed a metal rod of his own to attack, his swings were clumsy and easy enough for Wallace to dodge and deflect. He grabbed the second stun rod from his side and jumped atop the wolf's arm as he attacked. "Sure you wanna call me "scrawny" again?"

He crossed the rods around the wolf's neck and pressed the buttons on the hilt, electricity rushed through the rods and shocked the wolf against his neck. The small amount of volts were just enough to incapacitate him. "Fang, no!" The black wolf growled and charged after Wallace. The mole threw a stun rod at him, but he ducked under it successfully, "Nice try, you little-!?" The moment he stood back up, the wolf felt his chest pelted with three stinging pricks. They were tranquilizer darts from Wallace's gun, he fell to the ground completely unconscious.

After a few minutes of pulling them together, Wallace placed his glasses back on to see the two wolves knocked out and handcuffed to the fence behind them. He grinned and stood in a heroic pose, "Justice is served!"

The mole blushed making sure no one saw him say that. "It's not that cool when nobody's watching anyway." He sighed and grabbed his walkie talkie to call the precint. "This is Officer Digmund calling dispatch. I apprehended two of the three wolves that have been seen robbing shops in Savannah Central. I'm requesting a pick up of the criminals."

"Good job! We'll send a team close by to pick them up." The dispatcher responded. "What about the third member?"

"Clawhauser is currently in pursuit, I'm going to back him up now…" Wallace ended the call and proceeded to the next alley. He saw the way back to the street but as he made his way a figure ran through his vision. It was the grey wolf still carrying the money. "Oh shoot! Clawhauser!"

Wallace rushed out of the alley in hopes of catching him while also trying to get a hold of his partner. "Clawhauser? Officer Clawhauser where are you? Are you injured? Please answer-wah!?" When Wallace got into the street, he was instantly squashed against the soft flabby wall that was Clawhauser.

"Look out!" Ben couldn't keep his balance any longer, with his exhaustion from running so much he tipped and fell right on top of his partner. "Wally? Oh gosh, are you ok?"

The mole squirmed under the fat body until his head popped out of the cheeta's side. He struggled desperately while watching as the wolf ran further and further away. "Benjamin get off! Hurry or we'll lose him!" He struggled more to pull his arms out when Ben pushed himself to free him. But by the time they got to their feet it was too late, the wolf was gone.

"He got away…" Those words stung on Wallace's mind. It frustrated and angered him, but the target for it always came back to the partner behind him.

* * *

Wallace fired his gun again and again. Shooting at the plastic target in the ZPD shooting range in frustration. He was on his fouth clip of darts and was ready to reload when a paw suddenly patted his back. "Never took you for shooting to relieve your stress." It was Nick standing behind him. The fox looked concerned but the mole merely focused back on his target.

"I don't really feel like cheering up right now." He told reloading his gun.

"I can see that, you're really going at it too." Nick watched as the mole continued shooting. "So lemme guess. You're angry right now that you couldn't get all those wolves right?"

"Why did it have to be him?" The sudden question was a surprise, but Wallace continued while shooting. "Why did Clawhauser have to be my partner? I could've had anyone else and I would've been fine. I could've even handled them myself if he wasn't in the way!"

"So you're just gonna blame, Ben?" Nick asked.

"No… but I still could've handled it if he wasn't there…" He sighed feeling his frustration get to him. "He's not exactly a field worker, he's a flabby, donut loving, Gazelle fanboy of a cop. We're just so different…"

"Maybe you are, but so are me and Judy." Nick told him. "So are all of the partners here. We're all different, and we're not always gonna be alike. Still, that's what makes us partners right?"

"Because we make up for each other's faults..." Wallace understood his senior's words, more so because he had heard it from plenty of other places. But now it seemed to finally seep in. "I just wanted my first case to end perfectly with getting all three of them."

"Well you can't always win them all, but there's always a silver lining too." Nick smiled as the mole gave him a questioning look. "Take it from a former hustler, there's always something hidden in things like this. If they split up, why would two of them stay together while the other one with the money be the only one to split from them?"

"Hm… that's right..." He pondered that idea, it was strange for that to happen so why did it? Why would only one wolf split up from the rest? "Wait… if one with the money was the only one that split…"

"That's right." Nick answered for him. "Wolves always have one thing in common, there's always…"

"An alpha…" Wallace finally understood what the fox was hinting at. "There's someone leading those guys. There's more to this case than originally thought."

"Which gives you and Ben more of a chance to close this case. So until then, I suggest you guys take it slow and work your partnership." He looked back to the mole's shooting target, the plastic body was still without a single dart. "And maybe work on your aim too."

"Really? I mean I didn't hit the hostage at all." Wallace pointed behind of the empty shooting target to another one. Nick's eyes widened as he saw the target plastered with darts from top to bottom. The darts displayed as letters spelling "Wallac". "I guess I should try writing the letters smaller next time. I didn't have enough space for the E." He smiled sheepishly and bowed to his senior. "Thank you for the advice, Officer Wilde. I'll do better from here on out. You have my word."

"Y-Yeah… you don't have to make it a big deal. And just call me Nick." Nick assured him and watched as the mole left. His grin never seemed to leave his face as he looked back at the target in disbelief. "Sneaky little mole… Ben's got himself a pretty good partner."

 _An alpha to the wolves, someone's leading them and I have to find out. I should try and interrogate the ones we caught. But first I should go and talk to the chief._ Wallace suddenly smelled something in the air, it was sweet and familiar. "Glazed, strarberry and vanilla frosting…" He looked in the direction the smell came from and found Clawhauser beside him. The nervous cheetah was holding out the donut box he had bought before. "You kept those?"

"You said you wanted to eat them, so I saved them for you…" Benjamin looked down to his feet, still a bit saddened with what had happened. "I'm sorry for getting in the way… I guess you're gonna ask the chief… for another partner huh?"

"I was going to talk to him…" He saw the pudgy cheetah's face fall even further, it was as if Wallace had kicked a child, "But not about you. I'm not going to ask for a different partner." He assured the taller predator. "I can't expect you to be good at this from the start, I get that now. I worked really hard to get here, to be out in the field and take on the bad guys. You never really tried to do this stuff… and it was wrong of me to ask for the impossible of someone I've only met."

"Aww… don't say that, now I feel like I didn't try hard enough…" Ben pouted.

"To be a good partner?" Wallace asked.

"To be your friend, Wally." Benjamin was sincere, even the mole could tell that. "We're partners and roomies, I'd like it if we could get along and get to know each other… like when we were in the car."

"Look, for starters I wanna go ask Chief Bogo something." Finding the cops sincerity sweet, Wallace smiled and took one of the donuts. "You can come with me, if you want to."

* * *

Chief Bogo shimmied in his chair, smiling softly as he watched the video on his phone. His favorite singer, Gazelle, dancing with one of her tiger dancers but with a picture of his face photoshopped. "Wow, you're really good at this-Chief Bogo." Gazelle spoke his name in an almost robotic tone, but he still enjoyed the app either way.

"Chief Bogo, I'd like to talk to-!?" The sudden intrusion startled Bogo as Wallace and Benjamin entered his office. The Buffalo hid his phone under his hooves hoping he muted the sound when the mole spoke, "Um… is everything alright sir?"

"Who said you could just come in?" He spurned them with a nervous look on his face. "C-Can't you see I'm busy? So if you don't have anything to say then…"

"You're really working it-Chief Bogo!" Gazelle's voice came from Bogo's phone, the volume loud enough for the two cops to hear.

"Is that… the Gazelle app?" Wallace asked. "You're a fan of her too huh?"

"Oh yeah, chief and I went to a bunch of her concerts once I found out. And when I found out he uses that app too I squealed in excitement!" Ben let his excitement get the best of him for only a moment when he blushed from Bogo's glare. "I-I mean… not that I use the app myself… lately…"

Bogo sighed as he turned off his app. "Just tell me what you two want, aside from that… distraction. I have plenty of paperwork I need to finish."

"Chief Bogo, for starters I'd like to apologize for not doing a better job apprehending the wolves." Wallace admitted. "Before I blamed my fault for my partner… but I understand that it's wrong of me to do that. It was a shared fault on both of our parts… we don't know each other well nor do we have a firm grasp of teamwork."

"And what are you suggesting?" Bogo questioned.

"If you would, I'd like it if me and Clawhauser could be given some leave of absence." He suggested. "At least for a week or so, I believe that's enough for us to straighten out our teamwork. Please allow us this if only for the one time."

Bogo looked at his subordinates sternly, Wallace was staring back full of determination. His partner on the other hand looked at him with pleading eyes, practically begging him to go with the idea. He gave in. "Fine. You get one week, that's all I'm giving you two. So you better make it count."

"Yes sir, thank you chief!" Wallace and Benjamin saluted to the buffalo before making their way out.

"I can't believe that actually worked! Chief never gives us that many days off for something small like that." Ben told.

"I think the fact I found out his secret might've helped in that regard." He answered.

"This is gonna be so great though! What do you wanna do together first?" Clawhauser was pressing his cheeks together giddy and full of glee. "We could watch our favorite TV shows. Try out our favorite music, and at night we can see movies together in our jammies. It'll be like our own little slumber party!"

"Benjamin, I asked for this leave for us to work together as a better team." Wallace reminded. "We're not gonna be having slumber parties. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to help you train. You need to get fit for the field… or fit enough." He looked back at the pouting cheetah and the way those pleading eyes stared back at them. He sighed, "Though, I guess we can do some of those things… afterwards I mean."

"Yes! I have some great songs and movies too, I know you'll love them Wally." Benjamin grinned.

"As long as you're putting effort into this, got it… Ben?" Wallace felt the redness on his cheeks when he said that, it only grew deeper as the cheetah above him looked at him with a large grin. "Saying your full name can be a little of a mouth full… it's easier this way."

Ben couldn't help but giggle in glee, it was the first step of Wallace actually opening up to him. He was welling up with determination now, and was looking forward to the week of training they were going to do.


	3. Chapter 3: Instincts and Donuts

Chapter 3: Instincts and Donuts

* * *

Benjamin purred into his pillow, this Tuesday was his first day off in the week his partner gave him. He knew he would have to get up soon, but right now the cheetah wanted nothing else but to relax in his bed. **Boom!** A honking sound that boomed through his room made Clawhauser jump face first onto the floor. "Alright! Up an at'em, Cinnabuns! To time to get to work!" The cheetah looked up to the demanding voice, despite the tone it was none other than his small roommate Wallace. "It's day one of our training week! We're starting this right now so get dressed!"

"W-Wally? We're starting now!?" Ben noticed the mole's academy shirt was damp with sweat, he guessed from a jog he previously had.

"Of course, it's best at this time cause there's not many people outside." Wally explained putting his phone back into his pocket. "I know this is probably your first time doing something like this, so I went ahead and let you sleep an hour more before we start."

"An hour more?" Clawhauser looked to the window and saw how dark it was, the time on his phone said that it was 7AM. "You were on a jog for an hour? Don't you wanna take a shower first?"

"There's no need when I'm just going back for another jog." The mole explained. "Come on and get dressed, we're heading off to Savannah Central to start this off."

 _So much energy._ Clawhauser couldn't believe the mole could still go like that. Getting to his feet, the cheetah got himself dressed as fast as he could. "So Wally, I was thinking about today. After this workout we can watch a movie together, I have some great DVD's…"

"You can talk about that later, now let's go." Wallace strict demeanor kept the distance between the two. He wanted to make sure this week didn't go to waste.

* * *

Wallace sighed, the walk to Savannah Central was a simple one. But looking upon his partner, the cheetah who wore a pair of shorts with with a Gazelle T-shirt. He couldn't help but feel embarrassed at being seen with him. "D-Didn't you have a ZPD academy shirt you could wear?"

"I have it, but once I started gaining the pounds it sorta got too big." Benjamin chuckled jiggling his big belly. "Okay! Now how are we gonna start? Push ups? Sit ups? Maybe some squats?"

"We're going to jog." Wallace explained. "You're a cheetah, and as such your main specialty is speed. But with all that… padding you have, you're unable to use the speed you would normally use."

"So we're gonna be running? That doesn't seem too bad." Clawhauser replied.

"Good, then to start us off we're gonna go three laps. From the watering hole here." The mole pointed toward the station at the distance. "All the way to the Central Station."

"Three laps!?" Just the thought made Benjamin's fur stand on end again. The station from the watering hole was at least a half hour walking. There was no way he could do it three whole time. "U-Um Wally? Maybe we could…"

"Okay, let's go!" The mole dashed off towards the station, cutting off his partner in the process. Looking back, he called out to the obese feline. "Come on cinnamon roll, move those buns of yours!"

The chubby cheetah sighed as he started his trek toward the station, he went as fast as he could to catch up to the smaller mole. At first he found himself catching up easily, but soon that energy began to whither out. His chest pounding hard and quickly as the mole ran further away. Soon his paws dragged on the ground, not even halfway there and his body began to give out on him. "Don't stop, push forward Clawhauser!" Wallace returned from the the station, passing the cheetah as he made his way back to the watering hole.

"You've got two more laps after this, so show some backbone and move it!" The mole's strictness heightened as he finished his first lap to pass the cheetah again. "If you wanna prove your worth on the field, then show me the speed a cheetah should have!"

"R-Right… I… I can do… it…" The panting Clawhauser kept going, even in his exhausted state.

* * *

Nick relaxed back in the passenger's seat of the police car, a grin on his face as he stared outside with his phone in paw. He was just waiting for his partner to get back with their coffee, but the fox definitely didn't expect to see what he saw out by the station. "Nick, I got the coffee!" Judy called from outside as she opened the door to enter the driver's seat, but noticed how her partner seemed to be snickering at something from afar. "Hey, what're you looking at?"

"Carrots, you have got to see this." The fox pointed out to the watering hole where his attention laid, Judy watched beside him as they saw the very sweaty Clawhauser crawling on the ground. There next to him was Wallace, the mole pushing him forward with his words like a drill sergeant.

"Oh my god, what are they doing?" Judy questioned as the fox snickered. "Nick, how can you just laugh at this?"

"Because it's just hilarious to watch, and will definitely give me a ton of views." The sly fox smiled as he continued to hold his phone out, the recording function already activated on its camera. "What do you think, Carrots?"

"Nick! That's horrible…" Judy said that but as she watched with the fox and listened from afar with her ears. Even she couldn't help but giggle. "Hehehe… t-that's really terrible…"

"We're really terrible, Carrots." Nick snickered.

* * *

"I… can't… go on…" Clawhauser rolled onto his back, his fur damp with sweat as his large stomach heaved up and down. "Can't… we take.. a... break?"

"Well it has been three hours now, guess we can call it a day." Wallace wiped the sweat from his brow and pulled out his phone to check the time. "I think we can end it for today. I gotta admit I'm surprised. Even if you were exhausted after the second lap, you finished to the third and did two more. I thought you'd give up."

"I… I-I won't… give up… yet…" Clawhauser's smile felt strained, but he still had a determined look on his face.

"Good, then we'll do this again tomorrow morning. Meet me back here at 9, I'll be waiting after I finish a warm up from the precinct's gym." Wallace handed a bottle of water to the cheetah. "You did good, Ben. So rest for now and relax."

"Thanks…" It's not as if he didn't appreciate the help, but if the mole was going to put him through hard training like this. Then Benjamin was going to be in a lot of trouble.

* * *

It was late the next morning, only four in the morning and some of the police officers were already up and in the ZPD gym. Judy took today to get in the exercise as well, strengthening her lower body and stamina for future cases.

"Hey did you hear what's going on?" Judy's ears caught a conversation between two other officer's the moment she turned off her music. "No really, Mchorn is having a match with one of those new recruits. Digmund I think it was, let's go see!"

"Wallace?" Judy stopped the moment she heard his name. "It couldn't be him… could it?" Letting curiosity get the best of her, the rabbit followed her fellow officer's into the sparring room where they could practice self defense with a partner. A large crowd had circled around the training mat, and unfortunately for Judy they were all large predators.

"Judy, over here!" The familiar voice calling her name turned Judy to one figure near the front of the crowd. Staring towards her was a tall female hyena, it was her friend and fellow officer Becca.

"Becca! Morning." Judy walked and slipped through the crowd. Excusing herself until she popped right between the hyena and a large female elephant. "Oh, good morning Francine."

"Hi Judy, glad you came to watch this." The elephant pointed her trunk to the sparring mat, and to Judy's surprise it really was Wallace. The mole still wore his glasses as he pounded his boxing gloves against each other, the towering rhino, Officer Mchorn stood in front of him. His muscles bulging out of his tanktop, ready to strike down at the small prey. "The new guy wanted to have a match with one of the S.W.A.T team seniors. Mchorn decided to give him a shot."

"He agreed just like that?" Judy was nervous as she watched what was about to happen.

The two animals readied their fists, staring down at each other until someone rung the bell. Wallace dashed toward Mchorn, the rhino already swung his fist towards him but missed by a thin margin; Mchorn swung again as the mole continued to dodge, circling around the mat while concentrating on the large predator's movements. Lowering his fists he dashed again toward the rhino's punch, but Wallace twirled off the mat and lightly grazed the fist as he slid right under Mchorn.

Wallace jumped into air and landed a straight uppercut into the mammal's chin. Mchorn reeled back as the blow took its effect, his legs becoming wobbly as he slowly lost his balance. The mole quickly saw his opportunity, he kicked at the rhino's leg tipping him over enough to dash back and wrap his arm around his body. With the added momentum of his dash and the rhino already starting to fall, Wallace used all of his strength to lift Mchorn and slam him into the ground.

"Whoa, the mole beat him!" A bear officer cheered as the others began to join him.

Wallace sighed in relief, he smiled as he held out a paw for the rhino. "Thank you again for the help, it was a great experience. Here, let me help you up."

Mchorn appreciated the sentiment, but he got to his feet on his own with no trouble. "That's a mean uppercut you got there, I'm sure you can take care of yourself against some of the larger mammals out there."

"Thanks again, Officer Mchorn." He saluted to his senior and turned to leave when Judy caught his eye. "Oh, Officer Judy, good morning!"

"Hey, Wallace, great moves back there." That was the best the bunny could say as what just happened still had her in awe. She looked back to her friends behind her and quickly decided on introducing them. "Oh here, I'd like you to meet some of the other female officers. This is Francine, and the hyena to my right is Becca."

"Rebecca Strong!" Wallace grinned from cheek to cheek as he saw her. "I watched all of your competitions on dvd, you're an amazing competitive fitness champion. I'd love to work out with you sometime." While he talked, the bunny and elephant gave their hyena friend questionable looks from the name he called her.

"That used to be my stage name in competitions." Becca answered. "And that sounds fun, but I hope you'll be treating me to dinner afterwards, Wally."

"Dinner? I-I just wanted a workout partner, I wasn't a-asking for a…" The mole blushed, now fully aware from the hyena's laugh that she was teasing.

"You're definitely fun to play with." Becca grinned. "You're partners with Clawhauser right?"

"Y-Yeah I am, why?" He asked nervously.

"So what is he like working with?" Francine asked. "We've always only seen him at the front desk, it's hard to imagine Ben in the field."

"Well I do admit that he's a little… a lot inexperienced…" Wallace told. "But he does have good insight, like how he managed to see the wolves we caught before I did. He has a hard time training too, but his determination not to quit is admirable." His compliments to his partner made Judy smile. "I'm sure by the end of our break, he'll be ready for more cases."

"Well I can't wait to see him in action, come on, Frankie, I need you to spot me." Becca waved the mole goodbye as she and the elephant made their way to the weight room.

"Way to stick up for your partner." Judy smiled hitting his arm affectionately. "Here I thought you didn't like Clawhauser."

"I never said that, Clawhauser is a nice guy. A little too bubbly, and giddy, and happy. A fanboy too… what else..." Wallace trailed off thinking of other words to say. "I don't mind it or anything, but I can't help wondering why a guy like him is a cop?"

"Everyone has their own reasons for joining the ZPD, I'm sure Ben has one too." Judy assured him. "By the way, I kind of wanted to talk to you about that team training you guys are doing? Nick and I happened to see you guys yesterday and well…"

"What's wrong? Should I have tried something else?" Wallace asked.

"I think you tried a little too hard with the drill sergeant shtick… Ben doesn't seem the type for that stuff." She admitted. "Maybe you can try something that would work perfectly for him. Something that he'll like and will also help get him in shape."

"You really think that'll work? Well… hm…" The mole did feel like she was right, after all Judy was his senior. "I might have just the thing for that… ok I'll try it. Thanks for the advice, Judy."

"No problem, we valedictorians gotta stick together." Judy said as she made her way to the weight room to meet the other girls.

Taking her advice, Wallace went into the locker room and grabbed his phone. "I suppose I should call him, just to make sure he's awake." He scrolled down his contacts to dial Clawhauser's number, the sound of ringing went through his ear as he waited for a response. After the fourth ring there was finally an answer.

 _It's a beautiful day in Zootopia! Aww. You've reached Benjamin Clawhauser, B to the claw, as they say. Hehehe, no one says that._

 _Anyway thanks for calling me, but I'm so sorry I can't come to the phone right now. If you want to leave a message though, go ahead and growl it or **howwl** it. After the giggle._

 _Spoiler alert. I am the giggle! Hehehe, aw ok I guess that's it. B to the claw is outta here! And by that I mean me, Benjamin Clawhauser I'm gonna hang up. Or you can or-ugh… I just made it awkward…_

 _Giggle giggle! Hahaha!_

The answering machine ended, and instead of leaving a message the mole quickly hung up. His mind processing what he just heard. "How. Is he. A cop?" He sighed heavily.

* * *

Panting in a heavy sweat, Clawhauser kept going. Trying his best to jog back to the watering hole for what felt to him his hundredth time. His favorite Gazelle shirt was soaked, he'd have to wash it again today.

"Think later… run… now." He pushed himself further. His legs finally giving out on him as he plummeted to the ground, but the feline got back on all fours and started crawling. "I… can… do it…"

"Clawhauser?" The sudden voice caught the cheetah's attention right away, it was Wallace with a large box in his paws. "You look terrible, how long have you been jogging."

"Hours… ever since you sent me that message… I wanted to surprise you." Ben used every ounce of strength left to get back on his feet. "I'm really pooped though…"

"That's really impressive, how many laps did you do?" Wallace asked.

"Well… I'm sure I made it close to what I did yesterday… I think four?" The tired Clawhauser couldn't think very well, but the moment he smelled the sweet scent of something yummy coming from that box he suddenly had a new spring in his step. "Oooh! Isn't that Harry's donuts? You went there for a snack?"

"I did buy some donuts, but it wasn't just for a snack." He told him. "For starters, I'm really sorry again. I think pushing you this far like this was a little much. You can't handle something like this."

"Huh, n-no I can handle it. You don't need to worry, Wally." Ben assured.

"I do need to worry, you're my partner and I can't have you overwork yourself." The mole opened the box and grabbed a single donut. "That's why I think it's best to help you train in a way that works for you."

"That works for… me?" Ben unconsciously licked his lips as the chocolate sprinkled donut in the mole's paw was waved right at his nose. "T-Think I could maybe have that first? All that running really has me drained of energy…"

"Nope, this is all part of your training." Wallace explained. "I know enough about Cheetah's, you guys have impressive speed but the stamina you have for it is pretty weak. It's hard to try to raise your stamina, so instead I'll try something different… I'm gonna help you release the beast inside."

"You want me to go savage!?" The thought reminded him of what he saw during the savage case a year ago.

"No silly, but it's something along those lines. I'm gonna work on your predatory instincts, if we can get you to tap into that you may be able to do some really useful things in the future." He waved the donut again, teasing the cheetah in front of him. "This donut is your prey. You want it don't you? The sweet chocolate goodness alluring you, it's tempting you isn't it?"

"Y-Yeah…" The exhaustion from before was fueling his hunger, Ben reached his paws out for the delicious goodness but the mole quickly jumped back a foot away from him.

"Are you sure you want this donut?" He asked again, this time the tone of his voice was almost tempting him. "I'm starting to think that you don't, Clawhauser."

"Not true, I really want it!" Benjamin reached out for it again, but the mole kept moving back. It was possibly from the exhaustion or the fact he was hungry, but at that moment the cheetah began to growl lowly.

"I hear you saying it, but what I don't see is you wanting it. I want to hear it." With the box of donuts in one paw, Wallace took the other and placed it close to his mouth. "If you don't want it, then I'll happily eat it along with the rest."

This made Clawhauser's growl even deeper, it grew louder as his claws unsheathed themselves. A feral look in his eyes as he began to step closer. "I… Want… **THAT DONUT!** " The shout was something to expect, but Wallace was surprised as the cheetah pounced at him at a speed he almost didn't catch. He jumped up just in time, stepping atop Benjamin's head and landing on the ground as the feline tripped and fell behind him.

"Ugh…" Ben groaned, still groggy from the sudden hunger and the state he was in that he gasped as he saw his claws out in front of him. "Oh gosh, Wally I-I'm so sorry!"

"Don't be, that was amazing Ben!" Wallace grinned as he stood beside the cheetah. "You were so exhausted and hungry that it helped in pulling out your animal instincts. That pounce you made pulled out the speed you'd use for running, added by the jump made you even faster. If it was someone who didn't see it coming, you could've grabbed and held them down at the same time. I'm really impressed."

All the praise the mole gave him made Benjamin blush. "Aww, now you're just saying that to butter me up." The dirtied cheetah turned around just in time to catch a donut in his paws, the same one he was trying to get.

"I think we can get you ready if we work on something like this more, you'll be able to catch the perps easily with moves like that." Wallace winked. "B to the claw is actually showing his claws."

"Hey, you heard my answering machine!" Clawhauser grinned, murring as he felt the sweet chocolate donut on his tastebuds. "Did you like it? It was pretty fun making it… Oh! Why don't we get a house phone for the apartment and make one together?"

"No way… I don't giggle." The mole blushed still remembering that message. "Come on, let's head home. No need to train anymore today when you're so exhausted."

"Hehehe, alright. But I'm sure I'll be able to get a giggle outta you yet, Wally." Ben smiled as his partner began to walk across the street, even when he was tired he was really happy. It seemed like Wallace was really starting to show more interest in working with him.

"If you don't hurry up, I'm gonna eat all of these donuts myself!" He called out to the cheetah.

"Hey, don't do that I'm hungry!"

* * *

Chapter 3 is here! I hope everyone likes it, I should point out that Becca the hyena is actually a character from an artist I know. They make really cool comics and have done some on Zootopia lately that're really cool. Btw that answering machine of Clawhauser's came from a real thing. There's literally a phone number where clawhauser will speak on an answering machine. Read and Review if you liked this chapter and if you wanna hear his Clawhauser's cuteness call **1-844-MML-MSNG** ( _665-6764_ )


	4. Chapter 4: Tickets and Tears

Chapter 4: Tickets and Tears

"Eeeee! I can't believe you're actually hanging out and watching a movie with me tonight!" Clawhauser couldn't stop grinning after they got home. He jumped right into his pajamas, his favorite donut print ones complete with shirt and pants. "I gotta admit, I thought you wouldn't want to do this."

"I did say I would, we didn't yesterday because you were so exhausted and passed out in bed." Wallace explained, he relaxed on the livingroom couch wearing a pair of flaming heart pajama bottoms with an old hand me down KISS T-shirt from his father. "Are you almost done?"

"Almost! Got the donuts, got the drinks, and the popcorn should be done now!" The cheetah was more excited then we got his first concert ticket to Gazelle. "So what do you wanna watch? I had a few movies I thought you'd like."

"What do you have?" He asked nervously as Ben piled all the food onto the table, Wallace was trying to be friendly to his partner but he wasn't sure their interests would match very well.

"Hm… let's see…" Ben grabbed and showed off the DVD's. "Fifty Shades of Lemmings? I haven't got to see it yet."

"I've read the book and um… just trust me it's not your kind of movie." The mole told.

"Ok, how about… The Verminator?" Ben suggested, but the mole didn't seem interested. "The Haunting in Tundra Town? Actually, this was something I borrowed from a friend at work and never watched… I-I don't do good with scary movies." He tried to give some more ideas, but none of the selection he had was what Wally seemed to like. "Um, I don't know if you'd like it but the last one I got is… The Princess Bride. Though you probably wouldn't…"

"Sure, I love that movie." Wallace answered.

"Wait, you do?" The cheetah asked

The mole smiled as he stood up, with the remote in his paw he pointed at Clawhauser as if it was a weapon. "Hello, my name is Inigo Manetoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." He quoted the character word for word. "It's a nice classic movie, both with action and romance. I like that kind of stuff, comedy stuff too."

"Yes! I love this movie too! It's so good!" Ben grinned as he put the dvd into the player. "I absolutely love this movie, it's so romantic and sweet seeing Wesley and the princess together!"

The mole smiled, he relaxed back on the couch beside the chubby cheetah. Ben had already taken half of the popcorn before the movie even started, but he didn't mind; after finding a way to help his partner train, a movie was a nice way to relax. "I… don't like scary movies either…"

"Huh? I thought you'd like scary movies like, The Haunting." Ben replied.

"Stuff like monsters kind of… scare me." He begrudgingly admitted.

"Aww don't feel embarrassed by that, even I get scared from movies like that." The cheetah smiled. "Nick was the one who gave me the video, I should give it back to him though… keeping it only makes me more nervous to try it." Ben smiled widened as he saw the mole chuckle, he was enjoying the conversation. "Hey, was that a giggle I heard from you?"

"It was a chuckle, not a giggle. I told you I don't giggle." Wally retorted.

"I'll get one out of you yet, even if I have to tickle you to get it!" The cheetah wiggled his fingers teasingly as they inched closer to the mole.

"Oh very funny." Wallace groaned but softly smiled at his partner's tease.

* * *

 _I gotta admit, I actually had some fun last night. I always enjoyed movies like The Princess Bride, but I got more interested just by watching Clawhauser watch it. He got way more into it than I ever did, laughing at the simplest of jokes, crying at the smallest of sad moments and happy ones… he was more interesting than the movie._

 _And even after the movie, he had this smile on his face that never seemed to waver. He was genuinely happy. He's a strange guy, but very likeable all the same._

'Ben is pretty fun to hang out with, doing a movie night often doesn't sound so bad.' Wallace smiled as he jogged through the street. "It's such a peaceful morning today… and quiet too. It feels great!"

"Stop, thief!" A female's voice caught the mole's attention.

Wallace stopped in his jog and looked over the corner where the voice had came from. He noticed a shady looking weasel running with a purse in his hand, which of course didn't look like it belonged to. "So much for a relaxing morning, good thing I brought one of these with me." Reaching into his pocket, Wallace grabbed his extendable stun rod and swung right into the weasel's gut. The purse was released into the air, and the mole caught it in his paw.

"Hey, what the heck's your problem ya mook?" The weasel growled.

"I've read your file before, Duke Weaselton I believe your name is." He pressed his rod against the weasel's chest and shocked him shocked him with enough electricity to knock him out. "You usually do bootleg videos, but why do something like steal purses of all things?"

"My purse! Oh thank you so much." The woman who came by was a shock and surprise to Wallace. It was a gazelle wearing what he guessed were designer clothes. "You really took care of him, are you a cop?"

"Yeah… though I'm actually on my day off." Wally answered. "If you don't mind, are you Gazelle, the angel with horns?"

"Wow, do fans really call me that?" She giggled.

"My roommate does, I can't say for anyone else." He said while picking up Weaselton, and cuffing him to a stop sign. "I'm happy to help get your bag, but why come out in the open like this? Don't most celebrities go incognito?"

"I don't mind coming out like this, I love spending time with my fans." Gazelle told. "I'm so glad you saved my purse, how can I thank you?"

"It's really not necessary ma'am." Wallace assured.

"No please, I insist on giving you something as thanks." Gazelle smiled when an idea came to her mind. "Tell me, how would you like to come to my next concert as VIP?"

"A VIP pass?" He asked.

"Yes, and if you like I can even get a pass for any friends you'd like to bring." She answered. "Do you know anyone who'd like to join you?"

'I'm not that big of a fan to want a backstage pass… but those two…' Wallace could imagine the looks on Clawhauser and Bogo's faces if they have those tickets. "I may know two… friends of mine who'd really like those tickets."

"Perfect, then that makes three exactly." Opening her purse, Gazelle pulled out three tickets in total. "There, I hope your friends will enjoy it."

"I'm very certain they will…" The mole chuckled to himself.

* * *

"Digmund, I have to admit I didn't expect you to come back to the precint so soon." Bogo sat at his desk in the ZPD, watching Wallace who stood in front of him. "How has your team building exercises been going with Clawhauser. You're not here to tell me you need more time, do you?"

"No sir, I believe it's going pretty well." The mole answered. "I just wanted to give my apologies for today. I caught Weaselton even though it was my day off, I hope you don't mind."

"You were just being a good samaritan, there's nothing wrong with that." The buffalo told turning over his paperwork. "If there's nothing else you can go now, you still have a few days so I suggest you use them wisely."

"Actually sir, there's something I wanted to give you as thanks for the time off." Wallace reached into his pocket and pulled one of the tickets Gazelle had given him, he held it out for Bogo to see and knew he recognized it from the moment his eyes grew wide. "The person Weaselton snatched the purse from was none other than Gazelle. She wanted to thank me, so she gave me three VIP tickets for her concert. I wanted to thank you, so I figured you'd want to go."

Bogo snatched the ticket from his paw, a wide grin was on his face as he looked upon it with glee. His composure soon returned though as he sat the ticket on his desk. "T-Thank you, that was… very kind of you to give this away. Now if that's all you have to say, then I suggest you get back to work."

"Yes sir! Thank you." Wallace exited the chief's room quietly, leaving a crack at the door just enough to peek back in. He could see Bogo spinning about in his seat with the ticket in his hand. _Guess I made the right choice in giving it to him, now how's Ben going to react to it?_ He thought as he fully closed the door.

"Oh hey, Wally!" The sudden nickname turned the mole's attention to the person calling him, it was Nick walking by with his partner Judy. "You had something to discuss with the chief or something?"

"I was discussing a theft I stopped earlier, it's no big deal." Wallace answered. "I hope I'm not disturbing you from your work."

"Don't worry, we're just getting back from a job well done ourselves." Judy smiled. "By the way, do you happen to like Gazelle, Wallace?"

"Huh? Well I've gotten to hear a few of her songs, it's hard not to with Clawhauser talking so much about her." He answered bleakly.

"There's gonna be a concert for her next month, and I managed to get tickets!" Judy grinned. "Why don't you join us with Clawhauser, I'm sure you'd enjoy it!"

"Um… maybe." Wallace chuckled nervously. "So you're a big fan of hers too huh?"

"Of course! Not as big as Ben, but I do love her work." The bunny explained. "I actually got tickets for her concert a few days ago, me and Nick are gonna see it."

"Even though it's not till two months." Nick muttered.

"Well that's nice, I do hope you enjoy it." The mole couldn't help thinking though. Maybe I should've asked for four tickets instead. Wallace then felt his phone vibrating, as a text from Clawhauser came in. "Huh, speaking of Ben it looks like he wants me to meet him at the house. I better get going."

After saying goodbye and leaving the precinct, Wallace made his way back to the apartment complex. The door to his shared house was booming from loud music from the inside, he unlocked the door and curiously peeked his head inside. "Um, Clawhauser? Are you there?"

"I'm in the livingroom! I got the best idea for a training exercise today!" The cheetah's voice called out.

"Okay, and what would that be?" Wallace walked into the livingroom and noticed the big cop in a pair of shorts and a tank top with the TV showing what looked like a workout session.

"Zoomba!" Clawhauser exclaimed. "Watcha think? Gives us lots of stretches, keeps us flexible, and the squats are perfect for my pouncing exercises right? Right?"

"Um…" Wallace stared back without words.

"Is it bad?" Ben nervously asked.

"Not at all, I just wasn't expecting you to do all of this." The mole smiled. "This was really well thought out Ben… I'm impressed."

"Daaaw, thanks Wally! Come on, let's break a sweat!" Spinning on the tips of his toes, Clawhauser got back into the groove of the training exercise. Following the instructor on TV as best he could when the the mole came at his side to join. Following with the session as well. "Hey! Did you wanna see... another movie later? I found that… The Godfather is coming on."

"Really? Which movie… cause there were… three parts I think?" Wallace asked in the middle of squats.

"Oh I um… uhh… I dunno." The cheetah giggled as he stretched his hands into the air. "Do you still wanna watch it though?"

"Sure, I don't know all that much about it so it should be fun." He told.

"Yay!" Clawhauser giggled with delight.

 _It's nice seeing how Clawhauser has gotten to really try working out. I mean sure he has hard time… a very hard time… I mean it's only fifthteen minutes and he's already sweating all over. But his determination to keep going and his friendliness has been really nice, I gotten to really like him._

 _I just hope all this working out actually works out._

* * *

The two had continued for hours until night finally came, and as Ben reminded him, the two relaxed on the couch and watched The Godfather. The large cheetah chomped on his favorite Lucky Chomps cereal as the movie was nearing its end. "Gee… maybe I should've checked which part this movie was beforehand. Sorry Wally."

"It's alright, even if it's part 3 I've gotten really into it." Wally told. "Maybe we can buy the DVD's for the other two parts and watch them all together."

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea! Maybe we can even have a movie night and bring friends from the precinct!" Clawhauser smiled.

"Sure, that be pretty nice." The mole was really enjoying himself as the movie was close to ending, but his smile suddenly fell as the music changed into an orchestral song.

"Oooh, what a nice song!" Ben smiled, his paws rested the empty cereal bowl on the floor and rested beside the mole's on the couch. "Old movies like this one really had great soundtracks, I wonder what this song is called?"

"Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo…" Wallace spoke.

"It sounds so beautiful, but really sad too. But with what's going on, I can't blame them for being sad."

Wallace didn't reply back, his eyes were glued to the movie as the music continued playing. His paw clenched at his chest as memories began to well up in his mind, his other paw reached out unconsciously as it held and gripped onto Clawhauser.

"Hm? Are you gonna cry too, Wally?" Ben looked to his paw as the mole's grip tightened harder.

His surprise grew more as he saw Wallace's face. The mole's fur was soaked as tears poured from his eyes, his soft whimpering was muffled under the sound of the music. "Will…" Wallace whimpered through his tears.

"W-Wally? Are you ok?" Clawhauser's voice finally grabbed his attention as Wally looked back to their paws holding each other. He released his grip and quickly rushed into his room. "Wally wait! Hey, what happened? Was it the movie?" Ben moved to the mole's door to find it locked. "Hey, it's ok to cry to a movie. I've done it plenty of times you know? Like remember when we watched the Princess Bride and I was bawling like a…!?"

"Leave me alone! Just go away!" The sudden aggression from the mole was a surprise. Ben could tell from the sound of his voice that he was right next to the door. "Please… leave me alone… just leave me alone…"

"Wally…?" Ben was completely perplexed. _What in the world happened to Wally?_

* * *

This took a while with different stories I'm working on, its short but I think I exposed some exposition in Wallace's character. Which will be revealed next chapter. I hope you enjoyed it X3


	5. Chapter 5: Friendship and Something Else

Chapter 5: Friendship and Something Else

And that's all for tonight, tune in tomorrow for ZTV morning news! After an hour of the daily news, Judy turned off her TV and laid back in her bed. The light of her lamp on the dresser still had the novel she was reading, maybe she would continue before bed. That was until her cell phone rung right beside it, she grabbed it and looked at the screen to see a picture of a certain Cheetah she knew too well. "Hey, Clawhauser. What's up?" She answered.

"Um hey, Judy?" His voice answered rather nervously. "Do you mind if we talk a little?"

"What's wrong? You sound pretty worried about something."

"Well… it's Wally and um… it was a… I-I mean…" The cheetah seemed even more nervous as he spoke.

"Calm down, just tell me what happened?" Now Judy was feeling worried.

"Ok… well I was watching a movie with Wally but near the end he was crying. He ran off and locked himself in his room." Ben told. "I have no idea what's going on and he's asleep now so I can't ask him…"

"Well I don't know what to say, did he leave any clues as to why he did that?"

"N-Not really…" Clawhauser lied, he did remember the name that came from the mole but he didn't want to bring it up. "What should I do, Judy?"

"Well… it's not like I can give you any good ideas right now. Maybe you guys should spend a day together, you know get to know each other?"

Benjamin thought they were getting to know each other, it felt like everything was going well until tonight. But maybe he just needed a new way of doing things, yes that's just what he needed. "Thanks Judy, I think I know just what to do now."

"Well alright, happy I could help." Judy hung up and after that conversation decided to head into bed. "I just hope it works out for you guys…"

Clawhauser finally had a plan, it wasn't the best plan but was the only plan he had; already dressed in his green shirt and jeans, he exited from his room where his partner's door stood in wait. "Um… Wally? You doing ok this morning? I-I was wondering if we could talk?" He knocked on the door when he heard nothing, still no response until it suddenly began to open. The mole in question appeared still in his pajamas, adjusting his glasses as he looked up to his partner. The two stared in awkward silence, not speaking until they both uttered "I'm sorry that I…" Ben cut him off. "Sorry, you go first."

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to leave like that… it was rude of me." Wallace spoke quietly, it was obvious he was still saddened by last night. "Clawhauser, listen I..."

"Wally! I want you to be honest with me!" Ben exclaimed "I don't want you hiding anything from me, we're partners but more than that I wanna be friends. So today I'm taking you out into town to hang out and I won't take no for an answer!"

"... Okay."

"I'm sorry but I really want you to… huh?" His cheeks bounced as he stepped back in surprise. The cheetah wasn't expecting that answer so quickly, but it did bring a big smile on his face. "Really? Oh Wally, this is gonna the most fun you've ever had! I know a bunch of cool places we can shop and go to. We can check out my favorite donut place and if you wanna go somewhere just lead the way!" Ben bounced off his feet as he made his way out the apartment door. "I'll be waiting outside!" He called back as he closed the door. "Yes!" He pumped his fist in excitement as he made his way outside.

* * *

A few minutes went by, the mole had gotten on a new set of clothes and left the complex where Clawhauser waited with yet another surprised look on his face. He had never seen Wallace outside of his uniform, so seeing the mole in black jeans with a chain running along his back pocket and a open white coat with a fur hoodie (fake of course) was quite the change. "Feeling cold?" he asked through a giggle.

"Hm?" Wallace sounded confused for a moment before he realized what Ben meant. "It's not that I'm cold, I just… like the fashion is all." he blushed hearing another giggle from the cheetah. "So, where do we go first?"

"Off to go shopping! Nothing says hanging out like buying stuff with friends." Clawhauser smiled as he lead the way, the two crossed the street and walked to downtown Savannah Central. The streets filled with prey and preds alike walking about, shopping and chatting one another. "There's this great store I love going to, it has a bunch of cool and cute things I'm sure you'll like it too."

"That sounds nice, I could go buy something I…" The mole's sentence trailed off as he noticed the store they stopped by. Clawhauser presented the store like he was showing it off to viewers. A store called Nooks Corner with a tanuki with a leaf on its head as a sign. The windows showed stands with games and comics, toys and clothes, and several other things upon closer inspection. "Guess…?"

"Come on, there's so much cool stuff in here you'll love it!" Ben pulled him by the paw, entering inside to see the other customers having fun chatting and looking at different wares. "I'm friends with the owner here, and he always has plenty of cool stuff."

"Stuff sure, but I'm not really sure this is my kind off…"

"Hey, hey Ken! It's me!" Clawhauser waved to the store counter, the name made the ears of a tanuki twitch. A circular spectacled tanuki looked back to the cheetah and waved a hello as he made his way to them. "This is Ken, he's the owner of this whole place."

"Ken Nook, I've been friends with this big guy since I first set up shop." The tanuki was just about Wallace's size, but he had a gut that was about the tanuki equivalent of Benjamin's. "So, Benjy? Who's this guy?"

"Wally is my partner on the force remember?" He chuckled. "We're here to shop and have fun today, so do you have anything new?"

"Well I have been meaning to tell you about this thing I got that I know you'll like." Ken told. "I know you loved that app with dancing with Gazelle."

"Like you wouldn't believe." Ben cooed.

"Well instead of having your face photoshopped, how about you really dance with her?"The tanuki unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it open revealing a white undershirt with a picture of Gazelle, dancing on a stage beside a picture of Ken. "On a T-shirt?"

The cheetah gasped so long that Wallace thought he was going to faint. "How. Did. You. Get. That!?" He pressed his face together like there were marshmallows in his cheeks.

"Hehe, I got a printer that lets me put pictures on stuff like shirts. I can do some photoshopping and bam! Instant shirt design!" The tanuki grinned. "If you send me a pic of you and your dance moves, I'll do one for you too."

"Yes! Let's do it now then!" Clawhauser and Ken went off to the back of the store, leaving Wally to his rather confused lonesome.

"I guess I'll… look around?" There were plenty of things he saw on the shelves and stands, the comics were interesting but he could just read through them here. The action figures were very intricate, finely detailed as they should be, the one of a mole with lightning around his body and a large drill in his hands. His eyes brightened in excitement, but he slowly shook it off as to not arouse any attention. Even if it was a limited edition, in mint condition no less. "Oooh, who's that guy?" The sudden voice of Benjamin caught him by surprise.

"It's Raikiri Mogera, the driller of lightning. He's a character in a tokusatsu super sentai show." Wallace continued as he noticed the confusion on Clawhauser's face. "It's a show in Japan… I watched it as a kid with… someone…" He looked at the feline's paw to see the shirt he was holding. "That was pretty fast to get that shirt."

"Oh yeah, I can't wait to show it off!" Ben grinned from cheek to big chubby cheek. "But what about you? You haven't bought anything yet."

"I don't think this is the kind of place I'd buy stuff from." Wallace lied as that action figure of Mogera was definitely something he would want. But it wasn't something he should do. "Sorry Ben, but I think we should go-Oh my god!" He jumped off the tips of his feet when he noticed a group of items that caught his eyes.

Even Clawhauser looked in his direction when the mole dashed out to a stand of keychains, Wally was bouncing, literally bouncing up and down at the sight of a group of odd creatures. From what Ben could see were a group of cats of different species in bananas. "I can't believe this place has Bananya!"

"Bananya?" Ben asked looking at the cute keychains himself.

"Only the cutest cat in a banana ever, with his family and friends too they're just so adorable! Hehehehe~!" Wallace could tell that laugh he made was normal, and from the loud gasp by the cheetah he knew what he had done.

"You just giggled. You totally giggled!" Clawhauser pressed his cheeks together in excitement, his own giggling much more high pitched than the mole's. "Awww and it sounded so cute too!"

"N-No I didn't…. I didn't do that."

"Yeah you did! You can't lie about-!?"

"I didn't! That's not me at all so stop it!" He raised his voice enough for everyone in the store to hear him. Wallace didn't know what to do, his emotions got the better of him to the point that he didn't realize where he was. His flustered ness caused him to run off.

"Wait, Wally!" Ben wanted to kick his big butt for doing that, he went too far teasing the mole and now he ran off. He followed out of the door to catch the mole running into a corner he knew well, he caught up with him easily since the alley lead to a dead end. "Wally?" The cheetah saw the mole hiding in the shadow of the walls. "Are you ok? I-I mean, I'm sorry if-!"

"Leave me alone!" Wallace shouted. "You're just gonna laugh like everyone else. You'll laugh and make fun of me, just like everyone else does won't you?"

"What? What would I laugh about?"

"About me… liking cute stuff…" He muttered. "I don't want people to laugh at me, just because of the things I like…"

"Wally, I'd never laugh at you for that. I thought it was something I did that upset you." Hearing that made Ben all the more concerned. "What in the world happened? What made you so upset?"

"It's not your business…"

"Yes it is! You're supposed to be honest with me!" Benjamin argued. "I told you we would hang out so we could get to know each other and I meant it! But if you don't tell me anything I won't know how to help, and I want to! Please…" The shout of his voice surprised even Clawhauser himself, it actually scared him for a moment.

"... You won't laugh?" The mole muttered just loud enough for Benjamin to nod in reply. He scooted over and patted the spot next to him for the cheetah to sit beside. "Back in Diggersville, when I was a kid… I was bullied a lot. People made fun of me because I liked cute stuff and sentai shows. They picked on me a lot, but it was so much worse on that day…"

"That day?"

"Moles usually like to dig a lot, but one day… I was put in a box and buried at the front of my middle school." Wallace trembled, his eyes shut closed at the very memory. "It was dark, I could barely move and it was hard to breathe. Because of that, I'm scared to even stay in a dark closed space..."

"That… that's terrible." Ben could only imagine the kind of fear the boy his age must've felt.

"But on that day, I was saved by someone… I thought my hero." Wallace's trembling as he remembered that person. "It was… my brother, William." He smiled warmly at the memories. "He was older only by a year, but he felt like one of the heroes he and I would always watch together. I wanted to be just like him, together we dreamed of becoming heroes of justice just like our favorite shows."

"Your brother must be a great guy then, isn't he?" Clawhauser was glad to see the smile coming from the little mole, but slowly it began to falter. "Wally?" He grew nervous again at what his partner would say.

"My brother was outwardly strong… but he was sickly on the inside. He died when I was thirteen." Wallace clenched his fists tighter. "We made a promise to become heroes of justice, to work to become great cops together. But he couldn't hold out… it wasn't fair." The small mole felt even smaller at that moment, but his thoughts cleared at the sudden whimpering beside him. The large Clawhauser just stared at him, crying. "W-What are you doing? Why are you crying!?"

"B-Because it's… so sad…" The chubby cheetah sniffled. "I'm sorry for being so pushy about your past, I just… wanted us to bond more."

"I get that, Clawhauser… I know you're not trying to being rude or anything." Wallace sighed as he got back to his feet. "Look, I'm sorry for getting angry. I'm just not used to seeing that side of me, the side that likes cute stuff and all. I don't really talk about my brother much either so why don't we leave it at that." He took a deep breath as he looked back to his partner, still sniffling. "No need to keep crying, why don't we go somewhere else now? Got any other fun places to go to?"

"Um… well, I think may have one idea." The cheetah twiddled his thumbs nervously. "That is, if you still wanna go."

* * *

Wallace did agree to following the bigger mammal, but he hadn't expected to head inside of such an impressive place; the loud mix of music boomed through the whole room as flashing colored lights enveloped the large room, he still remembered the name of the club when they came in. "The Wild Zone," he spoke loud enough for Clawhauser to hear beside him. "This is a bit of a surprise, you come here often?"

"Oh yeah, I love coming here with Judy and the others from work." Ben grinned, bouncing to the beat. "Everyone loves dancing here, it's so much fun!" The cheetah made his way onto the dance floor, looking back to the mole standing still. "Come on, Wally. Don't tell me you never danced before."

Wallace wanted to reply through the loud music, but the song suddenly changed into something familiar. The beats caught his ears and he felt himself into it as well. "Well, I guess I could show off a little." He stepped onto the dance floor as the beats and neon lights mixed and started to move to the song.

 _we're all born with a dream we wanna make come true the best will climb to the top like me the rest will end up like you_

 _i bet it's hard to live with knowing that you'll never be this fine don't be distraught don't be sad you gave it your best try_

 _listen, girlfriend...can't you see?_  
 _i'm all of the things that you'll never be i'm cool like the rain and i'm hot like the sun i'm a neon rainbow and you're no fun_

Benjamin's grin widened even more as he watched the mole dancing to the beat like he did, as if he had turned into a completely different person. It had him excited enough to jump onto the dance floor and dance right with him. Wallace noticed it the second that chubby cheetah started dancing around, but he found it welcoming and just danced on with him.

 _may be time to retreat you need a diva review you can see I never miss a beat your makeover's long overdue_

 _just try to understand this it's not that I am trying to outshine you've got your inner beauty we can't all be divine_

 _listen, girlfriend...can't you see?_  
 _i'm all of the things that you'll never be i'm cool like the rain and i'm hot like the sun i'm a neon rainbow and you're no fun_

 _no one likes a girl who wears a silly frown just wear a smile and you'll turn it all around just think of happy things you'll see in no time fun every day the clouds roll away try it you'll see just be more like me_

The lights flashed about as glow sticks flung into the air, Wally and Ben both grabbed one in their paws and waved them about to the beat of the song.

 _listen, girlfriend...can't you see?_  
 _i'm all of the things that you'll never be i'm cool like the rain and i'm hot like the sun i'm a neon rainbow and you're no fun_

The song finally started to end, the crowd was cheering the two on as their dance caught all of their eyes. The cheetah and mole looked back to each other, and for a change they both smiled at each other.

* * *

"I can't believe how much fun that was!" Clawhauser couldn't stop giggling as they walked across the street, they left the club in such an elated state that they almost didn't notice that it turned dark. "You were amazing, Wally. I didn't know you could dance like that."

"Back home, my dad bought an old DDR arcade console… I played on it a lot as a kid." The mole blushed smiling cheek to cheek. "I wasn't expecting one of my favorite songs to start playing there though, I love Neon Katt's music. I'm still more surprised you were able to keep up with me."

"I've heard some of her songs too, it's really good." Ben replied. "As for my dance moves well… I always thought of being one of Gazelle's backup dancers, so I'd practice a lot."

"I'm sure you'd make a pretty good dancer."

"You think so? Hehehe, thanks Wally." He couldn't help giggling like a schoolgirl, his plan really looked like it was working. Ben's gaze looked up and noticed the moon shining in the sky. "The night sure is pretty tonight."

"Yeah…" Wallace looked into the sky as well, the stars shining down at them seemed to bring back old memories to him. "Clawhauser? Can I ask you for something?"

"Hm?" The cheetah looked back to see the mole staring at the ground, his paw held out to him for some reason. "What's wrong, Wally?"

"Can you… hold my paw?" He asked nervously.

"Huh?"

"Sorry, it's just… whenever I felt down or scared, my brother always held my paw until I felt better." Wallace blushed. "Last night you… kept holding my paw even when I was crying. So I wanted to ask if… you could…" He felt his cheeks flushing a deeper red that he couldn't continue his sentence, but Wallace's eyes shot up when he felt the larger spotted paw wrap around his own.

"I don't mind, but you sure you want to hold paws out here?" Clawhauser asked. "People might think you're a little kid, ya know?"

"I don't mind." He pulled the cheetah as he continued to walk along the street. "I know you probably wondered about it from last night, but the reason I got so emotional from that movie's music… it was my brother. He really loved orchestral music like that, he'd always say how it gave him a euphoric feeling. He'd feel the best listening to music, you would hardly think he was sickly." Wallace looked onwards to the street lights they passed. "But one day I found him stuck in bed, I stayed with him in our room just talking. He had that song, Cavalleria Rusticana, playing when he told me something. He said, "Continue the dream… for the both of us." And when he did… I saw the life in his eyes were gone."

"You and your brother were really close." Benjamin tightened his paw, trying to reassure the mole. "I bet he must've been a really great person."

"He was…" Wallace sighed, but he noticed how the cheetah's paw continued to hold onto his. "You don't have to keep holding my paw if you don't want to."

"Are you feeling better?" He asked concerned.

"Yeah… thanks."

"Good! Then let's have some more fun!" Ben grinned as he started to lead the mole by his paw. "I still gotta take you to my favorite donut shop! And once we get home we can watch a movie together again. How's that sound?"

"That… that would be nice." The mole looked back to his larger partner. "Hey, can we go back to your friend's shop?"

"Really? You wanna go back?"

"Yeah… I wanna buy something. I was too nervous to before, but I think… I really want to." Wallace smiled genuinely like he did at the dance club, just looking at it made the cheetah smile back. "Is that ok with you?"

"Mhm! That sounds great!"

* * *

Clawhauser bounced off the heels of his feet in glee, holding Wallace's paw and leading him to his favorite donut place. That smile he saw on the mole never wavered, in fact as they grabbed a box of donuts and ate it only grew. When they went back to Nooks Corner, Wally went straight for the keychains he loved along with the action figure he saw before and bought them instantly. Ben suggesting a picture to commemorate the purchase with Ken, and the mole agreed taking it with a big smile on his face.

When the two finally got home, they sat with popcorn in hand, watching the explosions of one of the action movies they found on TV. It was during that moment that the mole spoke. "Hey, Ben?"

"Hm?" He called back with popcorn stuffed in his mouth.

"I was wondering about something, while we were walking about." Wallace continued. "Even when I said I was better… you never let go of my paw. Why didn't you?"

"Oh! Well, I-I just thought I should keep holding it. Just to make sure." Benjamin blushed twiddling your thumbs. "I know it might be wrong to stereotype, but seeing you when we were dancing, and when you took that picture after buying stuff from Ken? I thought it was really cute."

"Hm? Is it bad to call me cute?" The mole questioned.

"W-Well, when I called Judy cute when we first met, she said that was stereotyping. I thought it might've been the same with you, especially when I said it so many times now." He chuckled nervously remembering the day they met. "Sorry, I must sound so silly right now."

"Not at all, you can't really help saying what you wanna say." Wallace slowly reached out and held the cheetah's open paw. "You held my paw that whole time, even last night when I was crying. Your paw felt really warm, it was comforting too. Having it holding mines… made me really happy."

Benjamin's chubby cheeks were as red as roses hearing that, he couldn't stop his giggling when he felt the small paw holding his own. "Gosh… I-I'm really glad I could help you feel better like this, Wally. I'm sure when we're back at work, we'll be the best team in the ZPD!"

"Yeah, I think so too." The mole grinned back and began to softly yawn. "Alright, I think I'll go ahead and head myself to bed. We have two more days to train before our leave is over. Let's make sure we get ourselves ready."

"Oh sure, I'll clean everything up then and head to bed." Clawhauser turned off the TV as the mole made his way to his room. "Well, goodnight Wally."

Wallace nodded as he opened the door to his room, but he never went inside only stood there as he spoke. "Hey Ben?"

"Yeah?" He looked back to see that sweet smile from the mole.

"I actually… really like that you call me cute." Wally told. "I don't mind if you called me that more often." He smiled as he finally entered his room.

"O-Oh… okay." Clawhauser was glad that the mole had finally entered his room. After he closed his door, the cheetah finished his cleaning and jumped onto his bed. His paws pressing tightly against his cheeks as he thought about the day he had, it was pretty sad at most parts, but it also gave plenty more good moments between him and Wally. He couldn't stop thinking about his sweet smile, the way he showed his enjoyment in the things he wanted and the cute giggle he made when he obtained those things. When he looked at the picture they took with his phone, his heart began to flutter. He couldn't stop looking at it. "Oh goodness…" It was fluttering even higher now at the thoughts it gave him, he was feeling the beginning of something greater than friendship.

It was the beginnings of love.

* * *

Whew got to continue this finally, And now we see the seeds of romance beginning to grow along with more of Wallace's backstory. I hope you all like it. The song was Neon from RWBY volume 3's soundtrack. I thought a song from Neon Katt would be pretty cool for a dance scene. Read and Review, until the next chapter!


	6. Chapter 6: Naturalists and Awkwardness

Chapter 6: Naturalists and Awkwardness

Clawhauser took deep breaths, in and out, in and out, looking at himself in the mirror. He was already dressed this morning in his uniform, the day had finally come to go back to work. With all the training they had put in for the past week he felt a confidence he admit to never having, but the cheetah was thinking of something much more than that; the last couple of days they had together had made his training with Wallace more enjoyable, the mole became more honest and more like himself instead of playing the tough guy role. It was this very side of him that made Benjamin like him even more, much more than he thought he would.

"H-Hiya Wally, I was wondering if um… maybe you'd like to buy some donuts together?" He stared at himself and shook his head. "I really enjoyed the time we shared together and I just want to say… that I really like you a lot. No…" The cheetah took a deep breath and smiled. "Wally, I got two tickets to Gazelle's next concert! We should go together… and kiss during it? Oh that just seems so stupid out loud!" Clawhauser pouted pushing his cheeks together in embarrassment. "I told myself I'd finally tell him how I felt, why does it have to be so hard?"

"Ben?" The mole's voice behind his door made Benjamin jump in shock. "Are you ready to go yet? It's almost time."

"Y-Yeah, I'll be out in a second." Benjamin took one more breath as he relaxed and made his way out. Opening his door, he saw the mole standing before him. "Hey Wally, are you ready to go?"

"I'm the one who asked you that silly, are you daydreaming already?" Wallace chuckled. "Well today's the day, are you ready to get back to work?"

"Oh yeah, look out ZPD! Cause you've got a new dream team ready to show you what we can do!" Ben grinned flexing his arms as if he really had muscles making the mole chuckle. His cheeks start to reddened as he thought of earlier, still wondering about how he should tell his feelings to the mole. The fact that they made their way closer to the ZPD precinct made it feel like he was about to lose his chance. He had to try one more time. "So um, Wally? I was hoping to ask you something?"

"Hm? What is it?" The mole asked.

"Well I was thinking that, we might be working late today. So I thought that maybe I…" He blushed deeply while pressing his fingers together, the words were there in his head but instead he replied. "I was wondering if we could grab some donuts afterwards! Or maybe during it?"

"That's what you wanted to ask?" Wallace questioned. "Are you sure that's what you wanted to ask about?"

"Yep, that was it! Nothing else I can really think of…" Clawhauser felt his confidence fluster even more as he gave such a lackluster excuse.

Setting aside the awkwardness as they entered the precinct, the two made their way towards the chief's office and presented themselves to Bogo. "Officers Digmund and Clawhauser, reporting for duty sir!" Wallace was so into the proclamation that he didn't notice that Judy and Nick were also in the room.

"Sounds like somebody's ready to get back to it." Nick replied. "Bout time you guys got back. Any other fun training sessions with your drill sergeant Ben?"

"Nick!" Judy muttered hitting the fox's arm.

"Oh no, it was actually a lot of fun training. And all the times me and Wally hung out made it all worth it." Benjamin smiled.

"Alright that's enough chatter, it's time you all got to business." Bogo sternly told. "Digmund, I'm not sure if you heard but recently there have been a string of robberies in Zootopia. Each one was by a group of wolves, the same as the ones you apprehended a week ago."

"A week ago." The mole looked to see Nick give a cocky wink as he knew he was right all along. "Were the robbers apprehended?"

"We've managed to stop a few of them, and when we try to interrogate them the results are always the same." Judy explained. "Those wolves won't talk about who their boss is, more than anything they're afraid of what their boss might do if they rat him out."

"We have to find a way to figure out who the Alpha is out of these wolves." Bogo told. "With you and Clawhauser back, we'll have that much more manpower to investigate."

"The question is… where to start looking?" Wallace pondered as his thoughts went back to when this case started and remembered the first criminal he caught. "Chief, is one of the wolves I apprehended before still here? If so, I'd like to try and interrogate them for information."

"But you'd just get the same results we've gotten from the rest of them." Judy reminded.

"Please, allow me to try my own interrogation skills." Wally insisted.

"Please chief, give Wally a chance?" Clawhauser pleaded.

"Hm… fine, Digmund I'll give you a room so be ready." Bogo told.

"Yes sir!" Getting the ok from the chief, Wallace made his way to the interrogation room in wait for the wolf. In a matter of minutes the door opened and in came the two wolves he had apprehended a week ago. The silver and black wolf sat down at the opposite side of the mole, staring him down with the animosity he expected. "Grey Silverfang and Roger Blackmoon. You two were a part of the recent thieving ring that's been going on through Zootopia, I'm here to ask you about it. Tell me about your group, who are they? What's your boss' name?"

"You think we're dumb enough to tell you that squirt?" Silverfang the silver wolf questioned.

* * *

Clawhauser watched nervously from behind the mole, watching from the one way mirror in the other room along with Judy and Nick. "Do you think he can get any information, Ben?" Judy asked him while as the wolves became more irritated.

"No problem, I know Wally can do it!" He answered with more confidence than before. "If there's anyone who could it be him."

"You're certainly confident in your partner after a week of training." Nick grinned prodding the cheetah for information. "Can't help wondering what happened during your week together. Mind giving us the info, Clawhauser?"

"H-Huh? Nick what's that supposed to mean? We only hung out and had fun is all!" Ben Protested.

"Nick focus, stop pestering him about that." Judy argued.

"Sorry Carrots, it's kinda hard not to be interested seeing the guy react like that." The fox snickered.

"H-Hey, I think Wally's about to do something!" Ben quickly tried to change the subject as the two wolves continued their shouting at his partner.

* * *

"We told you already, we ain't telling you about our boss's name!" Blackmoon growled.

"Then what about your friend?" The mole asked as he stood from his chair, slowly circling around them till he stood at their backs. "The one that got away and left you? Aren't you upset by that? He could've came to help you… but he just left you both for dead."

"You think we'd rat out one of our guys?" He responded.

"It was part of our plan to scatter if a cop came for us. It was a gamble for us to make it scott's free in the first place." Silverfang glared at the mole's reflection from the window in front of them.. "We ain't talking you got that?"

"A gamble? So you like gambling don't you?" Wallace smiled, "If that's the case then… why don't we play a little game?"

"What're you on abou-!?" The wolves fur went up as a streak of lightning thrusted between them. Only to find the electricity from a long stun rod the mole was wielding. "W-What the heck man!?"

"A stun rod is just a long taser you know? Do you know what can happen if say…" Pulling out his second rod, Wallace pressed both against their backs. "The electricity was shot at your spine for a long period of time? Your nerves could get shot… even a chance of being completely paralyzed. So why don't we play a game? I'd like for one of you to tell me information on your friend, if one of you tells me I'll shock the other in the back. The same vice versa, but if neither of you answer…" The mole's grin grew into a twisted one, he rose the rods to the side of their heads and pressed the buttons at full power showing a long stream of electricity from both of them. "I'll strike both of your spines with full voltage."

"What are you, freaking crazy!?" Blackwolf exclaimed.

"Isn't that what makes gambling fun?" Both the wolves and the officers in the other room could see the evil shine coming off the mole's glasses. "Madness is the essence of gambling isn't it? Naturally, in the capitalist society money is life. No sane person would entrust his life to luck. And yet a lot of people go to casinos, because people derive pleasure from this insanity. That's why gambling gets more fun the crazier it is!" Raising a rod to his face, the streak of lightning reflected off his glasses revealing a sadistic gleam in his eyes. "Now… shall we gamble?"

* * *

"Um… wow." Nick gulped nervously as he watched the odd personality change from the mole. The smaller prey grinning as he tossed the rods in the air and caught them effortlessly. "That's quite the scare tactic he's playing, I almost thought he was serious."

"Wait, you mean he's not?" Judy asked completely fooled.

"Nope, Wally's got them fooled. Just look at what's in his hand now." The fox pointed it out for the two to see.

* * *

"Are you both ready?" Wallace grinned. "If neither of you are going to talk… then I guess it's wheelchairs for the both of you!"

"Mystic Springs!" The two of them shouted, obviously in a cold sweat even under their fur. "Terry, t-the other guy with likes to go there a lot. We don't know much else about the guy but they should there!"

"It was our first time working with him we swear, we don't know anything else!" Silverfang trembled in fear just hoping the answer they gave would satisfy the mole.

Wallace was silent as he circled back to sit at his chair, smiling back to the wolves and showing them the rods in his paws which in fact were switched with two ordinary pens. "Thank you very much, I appreciate the information even if it was small. Don't worry, an officer would never resort to torture in an interrogation. That would be cruel and unusual punishment after all." He looked back at the two wolves leaning back on their chairs in a state of mental exhaustion. "Well I'll be going now, don't worry I'll have an officer take you back to your respective cells."

The mole made his way out of the interrogation room, closing the door just as Clawhauser and the others exited the other room. "Did you guys get that information?" He asked them.

"We sure did, you did great Wally!" Ben smiled.

"Yeah, you sure did freak those guys out." Judy admitted. "That line with gambling really made me think you were serious too. Where'd that come from anyway?"

"A gambling enthusiast… or maybe more of a compulsive gambler." He chuckled. "It was from a show I was watching last night."

"Oh I remember that show, the fox girl who had glowing red eyes when she gambled!" Clawhauser replied. "I remember how much we laughed at the funny faces the characters made."

"Guys? Remember the case we're on?" Nick reminded them. "They said Mystic Springs right? Looks like you guys are going to Mystic Springs Oasis."

"Just us?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, you guys are good enough to handle this. I'm sure you'll do fine." He assured them.

"Thanks Nick, do you guys know where this Mystic Springs place is by the way?" Wallace asked.

"It's down in Sahara Square, but you guys might need to know that… it's kinda…" Judy tried to mention her experience at the club in question, but Nick quickly cut her off.

"A pretty open place, anybody can get in." Nick stifled a snicker. "If you need any information, it's best to ask for Nangi when you get there. She'll help you for sure."

"Alright, thanks Nick. Let's get going, Clawhauser."

"Right!" The chubby cheetah followed his smaller partner out of the precinct, unaware of the fox's cop sly grin.

"Nick, I hope you know that you're a terrible person right now." Judy muttered.

"Carrots, haven't I always been terrible?" Nick grinned

* * *

Clawhauser and Digmund drove through the town, making their way toward Sahara Square the cheetah tried to think of another way to talk to Wallace. There had to be some way to just tell him how he felt as he drove them. "Hey Wally? I um… kinda wanted to say something to you."

"Must be important since we're almost there, what's wrong?" Wallace voiced sounded so concerned that it actually made the cheetah blush again.

"U-Um, I mean it is important but…" He tried not to show too much of his fluster, as the Mystic Springs Oasis came into view he decided to change the subject. "It looks like we're here."

"But what about your question?" Wally asked.

"It's ok, we can talk about it after this case." Ben tried to assure the mole.

"Well… alright then."

There was a little worry, but Wallace decided that his partner was right and that they should wait to talk until the case was over; the two made their way into the club seeing the entrance empty except for the tall Yak at the front desk. The brown furred Yak wearing a beaded necklace, two gold bangles and flowers in his hair. was behind the service desk in what looked like a deep meditation, his body stood perfectly still unfazed by the two's sudden entrance. "Excuse me, sir! Um… sir?" Wallace spoke to the Yak but found no answer, he could hardly tell if the man was looking at them as his head of fur covered most of his face.

"Hello!" Clawhauser shouted as loud as he could, his voice somehow managed to get the Yak's attention as he stirred awake from his meditation.

"Whoa! Talk about deja vu." The Yak answered in a rather chilled expression. "First a bunny cop and fox, now a big cheetah and a little mole dude. Welcome to Mystic Springs Oasis, I'm Yax the owner."

"Um hello, I'm Officer Wallace Digmund and this is Officer Benjamin Clawhauser." Wallace introduced. "We're here on a case concerning a string of robberies from a gang of wolves, we've heard that one of the members, a wolf named Terry, frequently came to this club of yours."

"For real? Man that's a bummer, never thought Terry was a bad guy." Yax replied scratching his head in thought. "But yeah, I'll happily help you dudes."

"Oh right! One of our officers mentioned you had an employee who could help us, someone named Nangi?" Ben asked.

"Oh yeah, Nangi's the best yoga instructor we've got here. She's got a great memory too, so I'm sure she can help ya." Yax stood to his feet and lead the two to the door into the club, but the two were in complete shock as it was revealed that the Yak was in fact wearing no shred of clothing at all.

"U-Um, Y-Yax you're not wearing any clothes!" Wallace pointed out trying to avoid looking directly at the fellow mammal.

"Well of course bro, this is a naturalist club after all." Yax opened the entrance further into the club, it was there the two knew exactly what the Yak had meant. The Mystic Springs Oasis was exactly how it was described, an oasis for predators and prey to relax and enjoy their merriment in their most natural states. Without any clothing at all. People were playing games, lounging about in the pools, or just enjoying the time chatting. Wallace was the first to step forward but was soon stopped by Yax's paw. "Sorry little dude, I can't let you go through."

"Yax, are you going to stop an impending investigation?" He questioned.

"Oh no man, but I can't let ya enter with those clothes on." Yax told. "Did it once for that bunny and fox pair, but that was the last time. If you wanna go in, you gotta go Au naturale."

"Y-You mean that… we'd have to…" Clawhauser blushed just thinking about stripping in front his partner or anyone in general. "Um, I guess we can't really do anything right now. Maybe we should ask the chief if he can order a-oh my gosh!" The cheetah's yellow cheeks shot into a deep crimson as he saw Wallace remove his uniform's shirt, with his undershirt gone as well the mole had become completely topless. "W-Wally? W-What're you doing!?"

"It would take too long to find another way, we'll just have to go with the rules of the club." He unbuttoned his pants and noticed how Clawhauser had turned away. "I know this might not be something you'd consider doing, so if it's too much you can stay here."

"N-No I um… I-I mean that I…" The flustered cheetah couldn't find a single word to respond with.

"Really, it's ok if you don't want to." Wally assured.

"... I-I'll go…"

* * *

Clawhauser has never felt his face so red in his entire life, here he was walking through the Mystic Springs Oasis. Completely naked as the day he was born, but strangely he felt it was worth it to see the mole as well; the small slightly pudgy body, along with his size in general made him look like a tiny teddy bear he could pick up and snuggle with. It was absolutely adorable. "Are you sure you're ok, Ben?" The mole's concern made him jump and quickly cover his privates out of habit.

"I-I'm fine, don't worry about me!" He answered bashfully.

"Ahh don't worry bout it Clawman, a few times and you get pretty used to walking around like this. Oh hey, there's Nangi over there." Yax pointed to the yoga class that was currently going on, in the middle of the group stood a large elephant with tattoos on her trunk and a gold bangle on her wrist. "Hey, Nangi! These ZPD dudes are looking for some info on our buddy Terry."

"I do not know this Terry you speak of." The Elephant gave a clear response as she performed the downward dog position.

"Aww come on, you remember Terry. 5'7 grey wolf who had a twitch on his left ear? Always starting off the day hanging out at the Pleasure Pool?" Yax description was very thorough. Not wanting to lose the information, Wallace took the notepad and pen in his paws and began to write down all the Yak said. "He had that really cool van too, the one with the lightning sword on the side of it."

"I do not remember that." Nangi responded.

"Sure ya do, you were even there when he mentioned how he had his car towed to that impound lot in Tundra Town." He reminded.

"Tundra Town, that van might be our best shot at clues." The mole finished writing as he thought aloud. "Thank you very much for your help, I think we have the info we need."

"No problem little buddy, that Nangi… ever a fountain of information." Yax smiled oblivious to his own help in the investigation.

With the information in hand, Ben and Wallace exited the inside of the club to recover and put their uniforms back on. The cheetah sighed in relief to finally have his clothes back, the embarrassment of having the other animals watching his nude body made him want to crawl into his bed and hide. Not to mention being naked in front of Wallace. "Nangi was… pretty big huh?" He turned as he heard the mole speak up, more surprised as he saw a blush on Wallace's face. "And those poses she made while talking made it… r-really hard not to look."

"You were embarrassed too?" Clawhauser asked surprised.

"Of course I was! Anyone would be wouldn't they?" The mole replied.

"Well yeah, but you seemed so calm about it before." He pointed out.

"Yeah, I mean I guess it does kinda help that I've seen my uncle naked before." Wallace looked as he saw the chubby cheetah jump in surprise. "Oh! Sorry lemme explain. My uncle visits and spends the night at my parent's house often, he tends to sleep in the nude… which makes it even harder not to see him at night when he sleepwalks."

"Ooooh! Hehehe, that's kinda funny when you say it like that. It's a good thing we were able to find that information." Ben smiled. "Should we contact the ZPD for back up?"

"Not yet, don't forget we need to find more clues." Wally held out his notepad with the information he was given. "We're gonna find these wolves' hideout and bust them all at once, so the first we're gonna do is find that van for more clues."

"Right! Next stop, Tundra Town!"

* * *

Alright! Got a new chapter done! And this brings back the previous investigation, so expect some fun stuff to happen in the coming chapters. Read and Review!


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